


Not to be Alone

by LifeIsSmall



Category: Original Work
Genre: F/F, Femslash, Modern Day, Modern Era, Supernatural Creatures, Werewolves
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-16
Updated: 2019-08-16
Packaged: 2020-09-02 00:53:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,830
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20267353
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LifeIsSmall/pseuds/LifeIsSmall
Summary: Pat desperately wants to find her brother and enlists the help of a werewolf who may or may not have an ulterior motive.





	Not to be Alone

A stench wafted through the crowded club.

It already smelled of sweat, alcohol and spilt blood but this was something else. It smelled as if a small rubbish heap coupled with a blocked sewer was winding through the bar.

A lone woman woman who had been staring gloomily into her drink wrinkled her nose in disgust as it drew closer. She glanced up to see what it was and saw a skinny figure with short brown hair. She was wearing a sweatshirt and jeans and was covered in dirt. Streaks of brown covered her face and clothes and there was a large splodge of something that could have been ketchup over one knee.

The seated woman was about to turn back to her drink and hope the smell didn’t linger when something hit her and she blinked in surprise.

The walking stench was surprisingly human.

‘Here!’ She grabbed the filthy young woman and yanked her into the little booth next to her. ‘What are you doing here? Do you have a death wish?’

‘Excuse me – ’ the brunette bit out, starting to pull away.

‘Wait.’ The first woman kept a firm grip on her arm and spoke urgently. ‘You think you can just swan in here? It’s not safe.’

‘I’m looking for my brother. Now leave me alone!’

‘So this is where that awful stink is coming from?’ A man loomed over their table, his lip curled up in revulsion. ‘I might have known. Trust a dog not to wash before joining society. I know your lot so love to roll around in piles of shit but do us the courtesy of doing it far away from here.’

The first woman bared her teeth at the man. ‘Don’t worry, we’re leaving. Sucker.’

‘Watch your mouth, bitch!’ The man leered over the table.

The dirt covered woman was clearly uninterested in being caught in the middle of someone else’s quarrel and tried to pull her arm free again but stopped dead when she saw the fair-haired woman beside her snap at the man with fangs. She was growling with unnaturally long canines and when she looked down at the hand still grasping her arm she saw claws.

Suddenly three more figures came up behind the man and they were all baring fangs of their own. When the blonde woman started tugging her along behind her and away from the newcomers, the smaller woman was only to happy to leave them behind.

The blonde didn’t let go of her until they were out of the club and a little distance from the cluster of people outside it.

‘I told you it was dangerous!’ The woman snapped.

Her fangs were gone now and she looked totally normal. The brunette wondered if she had imagined it.

‘What the hell were you doing in that place? How did you even get in?’

‘I need to find my brother.’ The brunette realised her hands were shaking and stuffed them into her pockets. She felt tears of frustration prick at her eyes and blinked them away angrily. She didn’t have time for this.

‘He’s in there?’

‘He might be, I don’t know! I’ve got to try.’

The fair-haired woman paused. ‘Let me clarify. You think he might be in a club, or that he is in that one in particular?’

‘What? No. Just anywhere. I’m more concerned that he’s in some kind of drug den but I really wouldn’t know where to look.’

‘Shit.’

The brunette looked up at the other woman. She was running a hand over her eyes and looked troubled by something. She had a feeling that it wasn’t empathy for a stranger’s lost sibling though.

‘Did you… I mean, what you saw back there – you know it wasn’t real, right?’

‘You’re trying to convince me I imagined something?’ The smaller woman sighed and took a step away. ‘I don’t care if you’re some kind of werewolf or whatever. I just need to find – ’

‘Your brother,’ the blonde finished for her. ‘Okay, great.’

The dirty woman suddenly paused from walking away. ‘Unless… Are you actually a werewolf?’

‘What?! Of course not! You imagined it, right? Don’t be ridiculous.’

The brunette nearly laughed at the look of panic on the other woman’s face. ‘You are? That’s great! You could help me find my brother.’

‘Woah, no. Why would you think that?’

‘Because, dogs are good at tracking, right? And, I’m not calling you a dog or anything but don’t you have an extra good sense of smell?’

‘No, stop. I’m not a werewolf and even if I was, it really isn’t that simple. I’m guessing.’

The dark-haired woman clearly wasn’t listening. ‘I’ll pay you! Please. Just, no one would help me and he was missing all day and didn’t show up for his court case so he might be in trouble somewhere.’

The woman looked close to tears and the blonde hesitated. She didn’t know if she would be able to help but she felt like she couldn’t leave her alone in such a state. After a long pause she threw her head back and sighed.

‘Okay, but on one condition. You’re coming somewhere with me first.’

The brunette suddenly looked relieved and worried all at once. ‘Where?’

‘To my hotel.’ She started to walk in the direction away from the club and then added, ‘because it has a shower.’

The smaller woman followed uncertainly. ‘Oh. Well, if you just want me to wash then I could go back to mine first.’

‘The hotel is only a five minute walk away which is about as much more time as I’m willing to be near you like that.’

‘Right. Sorry about that, I suppose.’

The blonde nodded and continued to lead the way. ‘Good thing you do stink so bad, though. I wasn’t joking when I asked if you had a death wish.’

‘So, what? That was a special club for werewolves?’

‘Not just werewolves. We’re turning left here.’

‘I can’t believe you’re a werewolf,’ the brunette muttered as they crossed the road.

‘Good. Then I don’t have to kill you to make sure the news doesn’t get out.’

The smaller woman was pretty sure she was joking but mulled over this in silence for a moment. The blonde glanced at her and sighed.

‘Before you ask, no. I’m not going to kill you. I just saved you.’

The brunette pondered this. She didn’t bother asking if the others in the club would have killed her as she wasn’t sure she would believe the answer. She might have asked this supernatural woman for help but that didn’t mean that she completely trusted her.

‘This is the place.’

The blonde nodded to the building ahead of them. They climbed the stairs rather than taking the lift and she let them into her room with a key card.

‘There’s the bathroom. I’ll be in here.’

‘Thanks. Um, I’m Pat, by the way.’

The blonde looked up and nodded. ‘I’m Lilith.’

Pat closed and locked the bathroom door behind her. It was a double room so there were two towels. She wondered briefly if the werewolf had a partner or not. She got the impression that she was alone, though. It seemed likely she would have mentioned something if she had been sharing the room with someone.

She washed as quickly as she could and then cringed as she realised she would have to put the filthy clothes back on. So much for getting clean.

The werewolf must have heard the shower turn off as she immediately called through the door that she’d put some clothes out for her. Pat wasn’t thrilled at the thought of wearing a stranger’s clothes but it was certainly better than walking around in hers as they were.

Lilith was scrolling through the map on her phone. She had been bookmarking all the clubs and bars that she could find while she was waiting. She glanced up as the brunette emerged from the bathroom and did a double take.

No longer covered head to toe in dirt, Pat was wearing her jogging bottoms and a jumper which looked a size too big. She had a generous dusting of freckles on her face and she smelled like the generic hotel soap which Lilith was sure never smelled that nice when she’d used it.

‘Thanks for the clothes,’ Pat broke the silence and fidgeted awkwardly.

Lilith cleared her throat and looked back at her phone. ‘I was just looking up the area but you know the place better than I do so might have been wasting my time. I thought we could check out the rest of the main nightlife venues in the city centre which you haven’t been to yet. You’ve probably already been down this avenue, but do you have contact details of his friends and does he have a girlfriend or boyfriend he could be with?’

Pat shook her head. ‘I honestly don’t know who his friends are. I asked his old best mate from school but he said they haven’t spoken in the last year since they left.’

‘Where does he live?’

‘In his own flat. I went there but it sounded like no one was in. I um...’ she bit her lip sheepishly. ‘I tried to get up the fire escape round the back to look through the window, you know, in case Jonathan was passed out on the floor or something. But I slipped and fell into a skip.’

Lilith quirked a smile. ‘That’s how you got covered in muck? What on earth was in there to smell so bad?’

Pat shrugged and changed the subject to ask if they should get going.

It was more than two hours later by the time they had finished checking out all the clubs. There was a queue at one of them and the bouncers refused to let them in quickly after they’d explained they were only going to look for someone for a few minutes. Searching the crowds of dancers wasn’t easy and then Pat insisted on checking the toilets. She stormed in both sets banging on doors and yelling her brother’s name.

Lilith talked to the smokers outside each time, asking if they knew a good place to go after. Disregarding the lewd invitations to accompany them back to their own place, she was told about a few of bars which stayed open until the early hours. She added them to the bookmarks on her map while removing the places they’d already visited. She knew that there was a fair chance that Pat’s brother could have passed them by and be at one of the scenes they’d searched earlier but neither of them had mentioned it aloud. There was only so much looking that they could do, after all.

‘No luck?’ she asked as the brunette emerged outside the last club on the list.

‘Not yet.’

Pat sighed before straightening her shoulders in determination.

She had been a little put out to hear that the werewolf couldn’t just sniff an item of clothing and follow her brother’s scent through a crowded city. The only reason she’d asked was because she had thought that the other woman would have some advantage over her. Maybe she also just didn’t want to be alone any more.

‘How old is your brother?’ Lilith asked as they left the last club and walked in search of the next place on their list.

‘Jonathan’s nineteen. He, um, got into a bad crowd after leaving school.’

‘Were you two close?’

‘Not really. Well,’ Pat shrugged, ‘I suppose closer than I am with my other siblings.’

‘Yeah?’ Lilith prompted.

‘I’m the oldest and he is three years younger so he was never that keen to hang out with his elder sister. He was too cool for that.’ Pat laughed but it sounded empty. Lilith wondered what she sounded like when she wasn’t distraught over finding her brother.

‘You’ve always looked out for him then, being the big sister?’

‘Yeah. Well, I’ve tried. The twins were born after us and they have always been so close that I’ve never really felt they wanted me around. They’re fifteen now. But Jonathan and I used to play together when we were younger and…’ she sighed, ‘I just wish I could look out him now.’

‘You are. You’re staying up half the night looking for him.’

‘I suppose I think that if I can just get him to turn himself in rather than getting arrested again that he’ll get a better sentence and maybe...’

Lilith watched thoughtfully as the other woman tailed off and wrung her hands anxiously.

‘I think you’re doing the best you can,’ she said gently.

Pat just nodded distractedly before pointing across the street. ‘Is that it, there?’

Lilith peered at the sign. ‘It looks like it.’

They approached the door but a heavy built man stopped them in the doorway.

‘We’re closed,’ he told them.

Pat glanced through behind him and frowned. ‘But we were told you were normally still open after four.’

‘Sorry, no.’

‘It doesn’t matter,’ Lilith interjected, ‘we don’t want to stay. We are just looking for someone called Jonathan. So can just quickly – ’

‘John?’ The man interrupted her.

When they hesitantly nodded he stepped aside and pointed towards a corner of the room. The two women exchanged glances and walked in, peering at the faces in the dim lighting.

Pat shook her head as she saw the group of men in the corner. John wasn’t an unusual name so she wasn’t totally surprised. She approached the man behind the bar and brought up a photo on her phone.

‘Excuse me, have you seen this person tonight?’

He glanced at the photo and shook his head. He frowned at them, adding to the unwelcoming vibe in the room.

Lilith touched the brunette on the arm. ‘Come on, let’s try somewhere else.’

The last place she had looked up on her phone was forty minutes walk away, by the map’s guidelines. She asked if there was a bus route in that direction which would still be running but pat shook her head.

‘Not that way. Besides, it’s nearly four a.m. The next bus would be the early morning one.’

The blonde sighed and glanced at her companion. ‘Yeah, it’s really late. Do you think it’s time to give up? I just don’t think our chances are looking good by this point.’

‘I’m not giving up. You can go back if you want to, I’m sorry for wasting your night.’

Lilith pursed her lips. ‘How far away does he live? Maybe your brother has gone home by now.’

‘In fact… that’s a good idea. Where did you say this last place was?’

Pat leaned over the blonde’s phone to see the map.

‘Yeah,’ she said, ‘Jonathan does live in that direction. We can go to his flat on the way.’

Lilith nodded and waited as Pat got her bearings before leading the way. They walked in silence for a while. The streets around them grew quieter as fewer people were still out and they left the partying scenes behind them. She watched the brunette woman discreetly as they walked and admired her determination and love for her brother. Lilith had been an only child and now that her mum had gone she felt so alone. She envied this Jonathan to have such an amazing person in his life. She wondered if he would realise just how far his sister had gone for him after tonight.

‘Excuse me, ladies?’

Lilith jerked out of her thoughts as a shadow approached them from a doorway.

‘Yes?’ she asked cautiously.

‘I don’t suppose you have any cash to spare?’

The man was suddenly right in her personal space and she backed away only to hit someone behind her who immediately grasped her shoulder.

‘No?’ The second man leered. ‘Maybe you have something else.’

‘Lilith!’ Pat tried to tug her away but ducked as soon as the first man rounded on her.

Lilith inhaled deeply. Her claws had accidentally slipped out and she tried to calm down enough to fight this man without risking ripping him to shreds.

‘Don’t you touch her,’ she said while trying to ignore the man with his hands on her.

The first man managed to grab Pat and Lilith heard her panicked yell. She sharply wrenched her elbow backwards and felt it connect with the second man’s chest. He abruptly let go and stumbled backwards from the strength of her blow. She whirled round and punched him squarely in the jaw, knocking him out flat. She turned to the man holding the brunette.

‘I told you not to touch her.’

Pat had been struggling against him but now stared in surprise.

‘Lilith?’

The man took advantage of her shock and got his arm around her. He turned to the blonde.

‘You don’t want her hurt?’ He pulled a flick knife from his pocket. ‘Then don’t come any closer.’

Pat wasn’t completely sure what happened next. Lilith snarled and leaped forwards and the next thing Pat knew was that the man was on the ground with a bloody arm. Pat had fallen too and when she looked up she saw Lilith standing over the man with her fangs out and some blood around her arm. She straightened and wiped her mouth on her sleeve.

‘You okay?’ she asked.

Pat nodded and shakily pulled herself to her feet.

The man groaned and started to get up. Lilith grasped Pat’s hand.

‘We need to run!’

They ran until they were two blocks away and leaned against a wall as Pat tried to get her breath back.

‘I’m sorry,’ Lilith said, ‘I lost control.’

‘Does that… often happen?’ Pat wheezed.

Lilith shook her head. ‘No. It’s because I’m here. My mum… My pack aren’t...’

She ran a hand through her hair and sighed.

‘It’s because they’re not here?’ The brunette asked.

‘Yeah. Well, no. Well… kind of.’

‘I’m just glad you didn’t kill him.’

At this, Lilith suddenly punched the wall in frustration. ‘It doesn’t matter. It’s so bad. They saw us. He saw me. He’s going to go to the hospital and they’ll say it looks like large dog bites. I could get into so much trouble.’

‘From people thinking you’re a werewolf or from other werewolves?’

The blonde didn’t answer. She looked at Pat.

‘You ready to go?’

Pat nodded. They set off again and she couldn’t help noticing the werewolf glancing behind them every so often. She hadn’t really put a lot of thought into the whole supernatural thing since stumbling into the werewolf earlier, she had been so focused on searching for Jonathan. Now she couldn’t stop the questions whirling through her mind. What did it actually mean to be a werewolf? What other supernatural creatures were there? Could Lilith fully turn into a wolf? How did werewolf packs work?

She stayed silent though, pushing the questions aside in her mind. It seemed unfair to quiz Lilith when she was clearly upset. They walked on and Pat realised that they were a few streets away from Jonathan’s flat now.

‘What do you normally do when you’re not out hunting for missing siblings?’ Lilith suddenly asked, breaking the silence.

‘I’m a student. In two months I’ll be a fully qualified nurse.’

‘That’s fantastic. Are you looking forward to it?’ Lilith felt genuinely happy for her and forced herself to stop worrying about the man she’d attacked.

‘Yeah, I like it. It’s hard work though and I’m really looking forward to some time off after the final exams.’

‘Have you got a job lined up?’

Pat nodded. ‘I arranged to start six weeks after I graduate though so I have some free time first.’

‘That’s a good idea. Any ideas what you will do?’

Pat’s eyes lit up as she talked about how she had bought an inter-railing ticket to tour through some of Europe. She was also going to make sure she got to spend some time with her family as she had sometimes missed opportunities to see relatives due to her studies and placements.

‘I like how you value your family,’ Lilith smiled.

‘Yeah, I have a lovely family. What about you? What do you do?’

‘I work in a nursery.’

‘A nursery for little kids or for plants?’ Pat asked.

‘Plants. I like gardening but I don’t like the shop part so much.’

‘You mean you’d rather just do it for fun?’

‘That’s not what I meant.’ Lilith explained, ‘I like being outside, in the garden and looking after the plants. Working behind a till and restocking shelves inside the shop aren’t really what I want to do.’

‘That makes sense.’ Pat nodded. ‘So, I’m guessing you’re not from here, staying in the hotel and all.’

‘No.’

Lilith paused and let the quiet wash over her for a moment as they crossed an empty street.

‘My mum grew up here,’ she said.

‘Oh, I see. But you’ve never been here before?’

Lilith shook her head. ‘Do you like it, living here?’

‘I do. I mean, it seems as good a place as any. The university offered a good course for me and I have all family and friends around here.’

They lapsed back into silence for a moment. A spooked cat darted into an alleyway as they walked passed.

‘Can I ask why your brother’s in trouble?’ Lilith spoke hesitantly.

‘Yeah, it’s fine.’ Pat sighed, tired. ‘He got caught carrying cannabis. It wasn’t just a little bit though so they thought he might have been dealing.’

‘Which would be a lot more serious,’ Lilith nodded gravely.

‘Exactly. Because he didn’t show at court they’re probably convinced that he’s guilty and should get jail time. I don’t know really. And I don’t know if he’s done something stupid now. He always was bad at facing up to the consequences.’

There was a pause and Lilith considered asking more about it but didn’t want to upset Pat further. It turned out she didn’t need to ask, however.

‘I’ve always tried to have his back, you know? And I’ve always trusted him when it counts. He swore blind to me that it wasn’t like that, that he would never deal. He said he was barely in that scene anyway and just had it for a friend.’

‘But?’

‘We wondered for a while how he was affording that flat when he only has a part-time job on minimum wage. He just shrugged it off and said he managed to get it really cheap. And I knew he took drugs. It’s not like he was ever a role model growing up.’

Pat sniffed and wiped her eyes, stopping for a moment. ‘I’m sorry. You don’t need to hear my problems.’

Lilith laid a hand on her arm. ‘It’s fine. But I think that you don’t need to know if he was doing it or not. You just need to be there for him and to love him. Which you do.’

Pat gripped her hand and smiled. ‘Thanks.’

Lilith stared at her for a second and then the dark-haired woman abruptly broke away and continued walking.

‘It’s just down here.’

They reached the building and rang the doorbell for Jonathan’s flat. Pat pressed it again and again but there was no response. She hovered her finger over the buzzer’s for the other flats in the building but Lilith stopped her.

‘Don’t disturb them, it’s not even five in the morning. I don’t think your brother’s here.’

Pat sighed and nodded in defeat. They sat on the step and she shivered slightly.

‘Not much point going to that past bar now, I suppose.’

Lilith grimaced. ‘I’m sorry, I really don’t want to douse your hope.’

‘No, you’re right. Maybe it’s a sign that I should stick to my own business and let Jonathan get on with his.’

Lilith hummed. ‘He won’t be at your parents?’

‘They promised to call me if they heard anything.’

They fell into a gloomy silence. Pat looked, for the first time that night, completely dispirited. Suddenly Lilith didn’t want to let their night end on such a depressing note. She looked at the other woman thoughtfully.

‘You know, it doesn’t seem like a very good job if we don’t finish it. That last place is only, what, ten minutes away? And yes, it is probably closed by now, but I say, what’s the fun if we don’t try?’

‘Are you being serious?’ Pat groaned. ‘You don’t have to try and cheer me up.’

‘I’m not.’ Lilith stood up and held out a hand. ‘I’m making sure you are going to be able to look back on this knowing you didn’t give up.’

‘So you are saying let’s go to somewhere that is almost definitely closed so I can feel good about myself afterwards?’

‘No, so you can not feel bad about yourself afterwards.’

Pat rolled her eyes but accepted the hand up. ‘Only since it’s ten minutes away.’

She let Lilith walk ahead of her down the little path back onto the street and thought about why this stranger was helping her. She doubted that it was simply because she’d offered to pay her back, although how she was going to do that she had no idea. Maybe she had felt pity after hearing Pat’s distressed sob story. Or perhaps because she was lonely, drinking by herself before returning to her hotel with no friends or family in the city. That was the impression that Pat had, but she thought that maybe it was both.

Whatever the reason, she was glad she hadn’t needed to scour the city all night by herself. She looked up to see Lilith confidently walking on and half smiled at the sight. Then she raised her gaze a little more and saw a figure ahead walking in the opposite direction.

‘Jonathan!’

Lilith saw her companion rush forward toward the startled man who had been coming their way.

‘Pat? What are you doing here?’ He accepted the hug from his sister and stood there awkwardly as she clung to him tearfully.

‘Pat?’ he tried again.

Lilith went to join them and saw Pat separate from her brother to stare him up and down.

‘Are you okay?’

He frowned, ‘Yeah, why?’

Pat promptly responded by punching him hard in the arm.

‘What the hell were you thinking? You’re an idiot! Don’t you know you’re only making things worse for yourself?’

Jonathan’s expression turned from concerned to pissed off. ‘Well thanks for coming all this way to lecture me.’

‘I didn’t come here to lecture you, moron. I came because I care.’

‘Noted. Thanks for caring.’ Jonathan tried to brush past her but she shoved him back.

‘Just listen, please?’

Her brother paused and glanced at Lilith. ‘Who’s she?’

‘She’s the person who’s helped me spend the whole night looking for you. I’ve been trying to find you because – ’

‘Because you two were really that bored? Get a life, Pat.’ Jonathan snorted.

‘Because I thought you might be dead!’

He froze as she screamed at him.

‘I thought ‘what if he didn’t show because he’d overdosed in some back alley?’ I thought that maybe the reason you didn’t bother to attend your own trial might be because something really bad had happened to you but no, it didn’t. Here you are moping about with your head in the sand refusing to take some bloody responsibility.

‘You know why I’m here? Why I’ve spent the entire night trying to find you?’ Pat was no longer shouting. Tears ran down her face as she spoke. ‘I don’t know what you’ve done or not done or why you’ve got in this situation but I want to support you regardless. I know that you can do better, Jonathan. Your family loves you – I fucking love you, you idiot.’

Lilith looked between the siblings in the silence that fell after Pat’s speech. Pat was gazing at her brother earnestly while he looked stunned. Eventually he moved.

‘I’m never saying this again but I love you too, little big sis. Come here.’

They embraced and Lilith averted her gaze, feeling like she was intruding on a rare moment between the brother and sister.

‘I’m sorry I worried you. You know I’d never OD, right?’

‘Not intentionally,’ Pat mumbled.

‘Hell, don’t worry about me. I can take care of myself, okay?’

Pat pulled away and locked eyes with him. ‘Then show me,’ she challenged. ‘What’s the best thing you can do for yourself right now?’

Jonathan huffed and threw his arms up in the air. ‘I’m guessing you want me to say that I should surrender myself to the police. Plead guilty and accept my fate. Yes?’

‘Don’t just tell me what you think I want to hear! I don’t get it, Jonathan. If you refuse to comply with the court you’re only going to get a worse outcome.’

‘Fuck the court.’

‘How very mature.’

Her brother sighed. ‘You know what? I’m angry because they’ve already won. It feels like whatever I do, it’s all going to turn out the same way.’

‘Bullshit. You have the power to change how this happens. Do it on your terms, don’t mope around here waiting to get arrested. And yes, if you know you’re going to be charged guilty anyway, then go ahead and plead guilty and hopefully get a better sentence because of it! If not, then you’ve got to do what you feel you should. I can’t tell you. But take charge of your life, for fuck’s sake and stop sulking about how it’s out of your hands.’

Jonathan raised his eyebrows. ‘You finished?’

‘Are you?’ Pat shot back.

‘Look, I already knew what I need to do.’

‘There’s a difference between knowing and doing.’

‘Yeah, okay. But now you’re here I guess I’m going to have to do it.’

‘You are?’ Pat’s eyes glistened and her brother’s face softened.

‘What the hell, fine. Let’s go.’

Pat smiled at her brother and then at Lilith. The blonde smiled encouragingly, relieved that the mission hadn’t been in vain. Her brother starting walking off.

‘Wait, Jonathan! Where are you going?’ Pat called after him as he went in the wrong direction towards his flat.

‘Am I allowed to get a clean shirt first?’ He asked dryly as he went.

‘Hey,’ Lilith nudged her. ‘You’re a pretty cool big sister, you know that?’

Pat just nodded and followed her brother.

‘I’ll wait out here!’ Lilith called after her.

She wondered if she ought to leave the two of them to it, they seemed to know what they were doing now. And they had found Jonathan so Lilith’s part was done. She thought about what it must be like for Jonathan, to have this kind of uncertainty hanging over him. Was he going to jail or would he just get a fine and community service? It would make a massive impact on his life but she didn’t feel sorry for him. As far as she could tell, he only had himself to blame.

She did feel for Pat, however. The young woman was clearly troubled by the ordeal and hurt by her brother’s behaviour. She didn’t think that Pat should feel she had to trawl through the city’s nightlife because her brother had irresponsibly got himself in a predicament. It wasn’t her place to say so, though, and she was glad that she could help the woman out, if only a little.

About twenty minutes later, as the sky was slowly brightening in the east, the siblings emerged. Jonathan looked much less dishevelled and Pat seemed calmer. She handed Lilith a flapjack bar with a smile.

‘We had something to eat inside. I thought you might be hungry.’

Lilith was, now that she thought about it and she bit into it gratefully. They didn’t talk much as they walked down the road. Jonathan seemed to know where to go so they followed his lead. He didn’t look happy but didn’t seem to be dragging his feet either.

Lilith tried to catch Pat’s eye to give her an encouraging smile but the woman had her gaze fixed on her brother’s back. She looked more and more tired as they walked to the police station.

When they reached it, Jonathan took his phone, wallet and keys out and handed them to his sister.

‘If they decide to let me out in the next twenty-four hours then you have to come and give them to me,’ he warned.

Pat shook her head. ‘I might be on shift. I’ll give them to Dad, he’ll have to arrange that with you.’

‘Whatever.’ Jonathan held an arm out. ‘Come here, you.’

‘You don’t want me to come in with you?’

‘Nah, you go on home. You look like you could do with some sleep.’

Pat hesitated, clearly conflicted. But she nodded and gave him a hug. ‘You’ve got the phone numbers?’

‘They’re still here, give me some credit.’ He pulled out a piece of paper to show her.

‘Okay, well good luck.’

‘Thanks.’ Jonathan turned to look at Lilith. ‘Hey, you.’

‘Yes?’ she asked.

‘Keep an eye on her.’

Lilith opened her mouth to say that she would but abruptly realised that she would have no way of keeping that promise. Luckily, Jonathan didn’t wait for an answer. He turned and walked into the station.

Pat stared after him for a moment before sighing wearily. She turned back to Lilith and looked like she was about to say something when the other woman beat her to it.

‘You look ready to drop. Where do you live?’

‘Oh, it’s on the outskirts. I’ll take a train. Anyway, thank you so, so much. You really didn’t have to stay out all night with me.’

‘It’s not like I had anything better to do. But I was going to ask if you want to come pick up your clothes. I’ve got some things to go do this morning so you can use my hotel room and get some sleep.’

‘I’d completely forgotten about my clothes! I’m sorry, I was just going to go away with yours.’ Pat ran a hand through her hair. ‘Are you serious about letting me use your bed? I really should get home but it’ll take an hour to get there and honestly, the idea of walking to your centrally located hotel and crashing there sounds amazing.’

Lilith laughed. ‘It’s no problem at all. Come on, it shouldn’t be all that far from here.’

‘You’re staying another night then, not checking out this morning?’

‘I have a few more days until I go back so don’t worry, they won’t kick you out.’

‘Perfect.’

By the time they reached the hotel, Pat looked like she might fall asleep standing up. They entered the room and she all but dropped onto the bed. Lilith had a quick shower, hoping that she wouldn’t disturb her but when she emerged from the bathroom several minutes later Pat was sound asleep.

Lilith pulled on some clothes, stuffed Pat’s dirty clothes from the floor into a plastic bag and left the room. She asked the receptionist if they could wash the clothes in the bag and have them dry in a few hours. It wasn’t free but Lilith paid up, thinking that Pat would appreciate to have her things back in a wearable state.

She wandered along the streets in the early morning as the first wave of people were heading to work. She found the park where her mother had played as a child and walked along the canal tow path where her mum had allegedly had her first kiss. She had always thought that her mum had embellished the story a little, making it sound both romantic and funny. After experiencing a ‘proper’ kiss for the first time herself, Lilith couldn’t understand what all the fuss was about.

She hadn’t had much success when it came to men and had never been in a relationship lasting more than six months. Being a werewolf didn’t help matters. She didn’t like to keep secrets and never knew how to explain why she would disappear each month or why dogs acted strangely around her. At least incidents like the one last night where she’d bitten that man’s arm didn’t usually happen. She normally had excellent control but right now she felt unstable.

She sat in a café, mulling over the night they’d had and wondering what to do with the rest of her day. She had thought that visiting the city of her mum’s childhood would help her feel connected but instead she felt lost and without purpose here.

In the end she swigged back the last of her drink and headed back towards the hotel.

Some time later, Pat woke feeling content but like she could still sleep for hours more. She frowned as she realised that the window was in the wrong place before recalling that she wasn’t in her own bed at all. She sat up and nearly jumped out of her skin when she saw a large wolf curled up on the foot of the bed.

‘Lilith?’ she whispered.

The wolf flicked its ears before lazily raising its head. She pushed herself up and stretched, sticking her back end into the air.

‘I can’t believe you’re an actual wolf,’ Pat murmured. She assumed this must be Lilith and couldn’t think of a reason why another werewolf, let alone an actual wolf, would be sleeping on the bed.

The wolf shuffled closer and laid her head on the duvet over Pat’s thigh.

Pat stared, mesmerised. She reached out a hand tentatively.

‘Can I touch you?’

Lilith answered by creeping even closer and rubbing her head against Pat.

‘You’re adorable,’ she smiled and gently combed her fingers though the fur.

Lilith snorted and closed her eyes in contentment as Pat stroked her and fondled her ears. It felt unreal, cuddling a full sized wolf in bed – a wolf who was actually a person too.

She laughed as Lilith sprawled completely and stretched her legs out in front of her. Her coat was a grey and brown and she had a creamy belly and white throat. Her deep brown eyes looked familiar and yet different at the same time.

‘You’re beautiful,’ she breathed.

Lilith’s ears pricked in surprise and she turned her head.

Pat’s alarm rang out and she jumped, grabbing for her phone to turn it off.

‘It’s twelve o’clock, I need to go. My shift starts at two and I need to stop at home first,’ she explained.

The wolf on the bed dropped her head back onto the covers and Pat could have sworn she looked disappointed. She grabbed the handle to the bathroom door but paused as she noticed a neat pile of clean clothes. Her clothes, in fact.

‘You washed these for me?’

Lilith didn’t respond and continued to lay on the bed without moving. Pat wasn’t sure if she was acting differently because she was in wolf form or not. She changed in the bathroom and picked up her phone from beside the bed. She hovered uncertainly for a moment as Lilith continued to ignore her.

‘Hey, I um, I have really got to go but,’ she picked up the hotel notepad and wrote her number down on it. ‘Thank you again so much for helping me out. It was just really nice not to have to do it alone.’

Lilith raised her head and looked at her while Pat fidgeted awkwardly.

‘I… I know I said I’d pay you back so, if you need a favour some time then I left my number.’

The wolf dropped her head again.

‘Um, enjoy the rest of your stay.’

Pat felt like she’d done something wrong and didn’t want to say goodbye like this. She didn’t know if she had done something to upset Lilith or if she was just wanted to be left to sleep in peace. She took one last look at the pile of fur lounging on the bed and softly closed the door behind her.

~

The next few weeks passed in an exhausting blur.

Pat finished her last shifts at her placement hospital and revised for her exams until her head felt like it might implode. Jonathan got two months custody and while he’d looked unhappy the last time she’d visited him she knew he would get through it. She could only hope that he would learn from it and move on to live a better life after the ordeal. The twins had already broken up from school and Pat was seriously considering moving out of her family home once she was earning her full-time salary. She spent a lot of time at the university library and between times revising she planned her holiday through Europe, looking up places to visit, train times and hostels.

The day after she sat her final exam she did nothing all day but sleep in and watch television. It was bliss. She went out to celebrate that night with her course mates. She danced and laughed and ended up with a hangover that meant the next morning was as unproductive as the previous one. It felt good to do nothing for a while and not worry about upcoming assignments or when her next shift was.

The third day after she had completed her course was the day before she would take the Eurostar to France. She rushed about packing and trying to make sure she had enough clean underwear. She had just located her parents’ plug adaptor when her phone rang from somewhere under the pile of clothes on her bed.

It was an unknown number and she half considered cutting the call before giving in and answering.

‘Hello?’

‘Hi, is that Pat?’ a slightly familiar voice answered.

‘Yes. Who’s calling?’

‘It’s Lilith, remember, from back in July?’

‘Hey!’ Pat grinned into the phone. ‘I’m glad you called. I hoped you would. How are you?’

‘You did? I mean, I’m well thanks. Did you finish your exams yet?’

‘Three days ago! I’m so relieved.’

‘Congratulations!’ Lilith exclaimed. ‘That’s great. When are you off then?’

‘Tomorrow, actually. I’m trying to pack right now.’

‘Sorry, is it a bad time to call?’

‘No, no. I can pack one handed. Or later. It’s not urgent this second.’ Pat smiled and sat down on the bed.

‘I’m glad you’re doing well.’

‘Thanks. How’s the gardening going?’

A soft laugh came down the phone. ‘It’s okay but I’m thinking about giving my notice. I want to see if I can find something else where I get to do more of what I want to do. It seems silly because I know that so many people never actually get their dream jobs and I’m already half happy with mine but then I thought, why shouldn’t I try for better? So I am. Does that sound silly?’

‘No, it doesn’t. That’s a great idea! Is that why you rang?’ Pat asked.

‘No, not at all.’ Lilith sounded like she was going to say something else but there was a pause.

‘Is there anything you need?’

‘No. I wanted to ask if you want to meet again. Maybe when you get back from your travels?’

Pat nodded to herself enthusiastically. ‘I’d love that. Besides, I still owe you, right?’

A sigh came down the phone and there was another pause.

‘Actually,’ Lilith spoke, ‘I really want you to forget about that. You don’t owe me at all. If anything, I owe you.’

Pat frowned, ‘What?’

‘My mum died.’

‘Oh, I’m so sorry!’ Pat put her hand to her mouth. ‘That’s awful.’

‘No, don’t apologise! She died a little while ago, that’s why I was there. I didn’t know what to do after she was gone, she was only family I had. I suppose I thought I might feel closer to her if I was in the place she’d lived once. But I didn’t, I just felt lonely. And being able to spend that time with you, just for one night, it made me feel less alone. So that’s why I want to thank you.’

‘Lilith...’ Pat didn’t know what to say. ‘That must have been so difficult – must still be difficult, I’m sorry. But you don’t need to thank me.’

‘Hey, um…’ Lilith hesitated. ‘There’s another reason that I don’t want you to feel like you owe me.’

‘Really?’ Pat wondered what else the woman was going to tell her.

‘Yes, it’s because… I like you. I don’t just want to meet up, I want to go on a date with you. But I don’t want you to feel like you have to.’

‘Oh, um. Wow.’

Pat was startled and wasn’t sure what to think of this. The phone was silent on the other end as Lilith waited to hear her answer.

‘Well, I would never feel obliged to go on a date with someone, so you don’t have to worry about that, to start with. You’re a great person, I really like you too but… I’m not gay. I’ve never even thought about another girl that way.’

There was a pause.

‘Me neither,’ Lilith spoke quietly. ‘I’ve only dated men. But I just couldn’t stop thinking about you and I know I want to be more than just friends with you. I think you’re beautiful and kind and...’

‘Yeah?’ Pat breathed as the werewolf tailed off mid-sentence.

‘And I’m really embarrassing myself right now!’ Lilith laughed. ‘But I’m attracted to you so maybe I’m bi, I don’t know and I really don’t care right now. Do you… do you want to think about it first?’

‘Um…’ Pat raked her fingers through her hair. ‘You’re embarrassed? Good thing you can’t see how red my face is right now!’

They both laughed awkwardly before ebbing into silence.

Pat thought about Lilith, how she’d been when they spent that night together nearly two months ago. She had been so absorbed in the task at hand that she certainly hadn’t stopped to consider her feelings for the woman. She’d felt comfortable with her, though and had been disappointed at the thought of not seeing each other again.

She took a breath. ‘Hey, Lilith?’

‘…yes?’

‘I… I’d like to try. I can’t make any promises about how things will turn out but… yeah, I’d like to go on a date with you. And if there’s no chemistry then maybe we can still be friends.’

‘Really?’ Lilith exhaled sharply. ‘That’s… that more than I thought you’d say. Wow. Really?’

‘Yes, really!’ Pat laughed at the other woman’s excitement. ‘I’m back in two weeks from Wednesday so sometime after then?’

‘Absolutely. I’ll find out which days I can get off work and let you know. Will I still be able to contact you while you’re away?’

‘Yeah, no problem. And Lilith?’

‘Yes?’

Pat smiled. ‘I’m glad I met you.’


End file.
